Sleepy Owl Coffee is the brain child It was Sleepy Owl that introduced

of three friends who revolutionized India to the brewing method with

the coffee trend in India. The their “Cold Brew” altering the
company was started in 2016 by trend of instant coffee that was
Arman Sood, Ajai Thandi & prevalent in the country since
Ashwajeet Singh. Being caffeine ages. This led to a revolution in
connoisseurs themselves, they the orthodox perception of coffee
noticed a shortage in the market for and thus India got its own
high-quality and convenient caffeine homegrown coffee brand. From
products. selling just Cold Brew in its
initial phase to now possessing a
This inspired them to fill the gap diverse portfolio of products, the
between consumers and coffee and once “Sleepy” Owl has awakened
thus a “Sleepy Owl” was born. and soared high.
 By focusing on the “EPIC” values, Sleepy Owl tries to
maintain an image of integrity and gives the consumer a sense
of priority. This helps the brand in maintaining customer
loyalty and an approachable image in the market among others.

Despite being very innovative, Sleepy Owl has ensured to

create an impression that shows their inclination towards
quality and sustainability.

One way of accomplishing a feat of being innovative yet

quality driven is how they only use grade ‘A’ plantation
Arabica seeds for their caffeine products grown at 5300 ft in
Chikmagalur, Karnataka. Using a specific kind of seed has
given the brand its signature chocolatey and nutty flavor in
their products.
 Audience Positioning Design
Sleepy Owl Coffee primarily Sleepy Owl Coffee has positioned Sleepy Owl’s mascot is one of its
focuses on its audience aged itself as a brand that caters to a kind, the way a heart is integrated
between 24 – 30. The audience young, first-time coffee drinkers. in it while being encircled by the
goes hand in hand with the The goal is to be a “challenger of owl itself makes it instantly-
brand’s image since Sleepy Owl the status quo” which resonates identifiable.
gives off a young yet experienced with the young audience quite
impression. The primary audience well. Moreover, Sleepy Owl has As the co-founder Ashwajeet has
consists of those who have positioned itself between tycoons himself stated that the brand uses
recently started earning and are like Nescafe and Bru but has colour and humour to stand out
yet to fully settle in a tug of war managed to surpass them in this among the crowd. They avoid
between personal and work life. particular field by its innovation using flowery language that
and unique outlook. might sound pretentious.
 Despite having a very specific target audience, Sleepy
Owl has still managed to find a way to reach an audience beyond its
primary scope. The brand possesses a diverse portfolio of caffeine
products that cater to a broad demographic ranging from
experienced caffeine connoisseurs to newcomers.

Sleepy Owl offers a delightful array of coffee products

tailored to every lifestyle and preference. The products range from
Ground Coffee Bags for those who revel in the ritual of brewing
their own cup to Ready-to-Drink Bottled Beverages provide a swift,
refreshing coffee experience for the hustler who is on the move.
 Sleepy Owl Coffee Revenue Report

Sleepy Owl Coffee, founded in 2016, has experienced rapid 70000000

sales growth. Their income increased from ₹1.8 crore in FY19 60000000

to ₹5.2 crore in March 2021. In November 2021, they raised 50000000

₹6.5 crore in Series A Funding. 40000000

30000000
20000000
10000000
0
FY19 FY20 FY21 (Series A
Funding)

Sleepy Owl Coffee Sales

Sleepy Owl Coffee employs a diverse sales approach. They
Report
have their own website, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel that
generates around 30% of their sales.
35 30 In addition, they have embraced the burgeoning digital world,
with 30-40% of their purchases coming from online marketplaces
35
and rapid commerce platforms. They nevertheless cherish the
traditional attractiveness of offline retail, such as local stores and
Direct-to-Consumer (D2C)
Online Marketplaces & Quick Commerce
cafés, which account for the remaining 30-40% of their sales.
Offline Retail This balanced strategy enables Sleepy Owl to capitalise on both
online and offline retail trends.
 Sleepy Owl’s most recent marketing campaign was to
instill FOMO (fear of missing out) in its target audience. The
message Sleepy Owl sent to the masses was “it’s that good”
meaning the coffee is so good that missing it is “your loss”.

The campaign shows the “Sleepy Owl” relaxing on a sofa having a

cup of coffee with the ad saying “your loss” or “it’s that good”
with the intention of evoking FOMO in the audience.

The campaign comprises of 4 short films with duration

approx. 30 seconds each, the setting of the films are
very casual like working at office or chilling at home
making it a perfect reason to have a cup of coffee.

One of the co-founders said that the campaign is fun

and light-hearted way of reaching out to potential
consumers and frequent buyers as well.
Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters is India's largest and most Black Baza Coffee, a brand which has made
rapidly expanding specialty coffee company, its name through its commitment to sustainability and
headquartered in Gurgaon, India. Blue Tokai, founded quality coffee in the Indian coffee market. This brand
in 2013 as a roastery, aims to make high-quality Indian prioritizes sustainability and biodiversity over financial
coffee more accessible in a variety of formats. profits. Black Baza source their coffee from small
coffee growers helping them thrive in the market.
As pioneers of speciality coffee in India, Blue Tokai
has helped shape the country's emerging coffee culture Despite the fact that this brand is focused on helping
to meet global standards. Over the years, the firm has small businesses and ecological sustainability by their
grown and extended its operations, opening “1000 year brew” motive, it has not compromised on
independent cafés and roasteries around India. the quality of the product and has served premium
quality coffee to its consumers.
Currently, the company has three roasteries and over
fifty physical locations in key Indian cities and regions, By being an activist brand, Black Baza has built an
including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, image of reliability, honesty and perseverance in the
Kolkata, and Chandigarh. minds of the consumer.
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 • Interest: Blue Tokai serves to a group that values quality,
• Age: The primary target age group of ethics and a story behind their cup.
Blue Tokai is 30 – 45, basically an age
group that wants something refined. • Lifestyle: This target group consists of mostly busy
professionals with an on-the-run type of lifestyle.
• Location: Mostly focused on Tier 1
cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi,
etc. where consumers want speciality.
• Coffee Consumption: This target group is consisted of coffee
• Income: Blue Tokai serves to the upper- connoisseurs who are willing to experiment with unique roasts
middle to high class income group and blends.
because of their specially sourced
beans. • Brand Loyalty: Since Blue Tokai offers speciality coffee, the
consumers are loyal to the brand for high quality coffee beans.
 • Interest: Caters to a group of ethically responsible and eco-
friendly individuals who appreciate the small coffee growers.
• Age: Black Baza targets a slightly
younger group ranging from 25-35. • Lifestyle: Since eco-friendliness is appreciated by a large
audience, the target ranges from students to working
• Location: Primarily focused in the professionals.
online market to reach all over India.

• Income: The brand serves to a broad

• Coffee Consumption: This target group is consisted of coffee
audience ranging from lower-middle to
connoisseurs who appreciate the idea of helping small farmers
higher income classes because of the
and are eco-friendly.
taste and pricing factor.
• Price Sensitive: This target audience might be a bit sensitive to
pricing compared to competitors’ audience.
• High Quality Beans: Blue Tokai • Innovation: Sleepy Owl is known • Directly-sourced coffee: Black
is known for its premium for its innovation and unique Baza sources its coffee directly
quality beans with unique perspective towards coffee. from small coffee farms helping
roasts. them thrive in the market.
• Plethora of products: Sleepy Owl
• Café Experience: Blue Tokai has a vast range of caffeine • Strong Online Presence: Black
has tie-ups with several cafes to products ranging from hot & cold Baza has a robust online
offer a cozy and fun experience brew to bottled & canned presence that helps in reaching
to its consumers. beverages. out to potential customers

• Customer Service: Blue Tokai is • Instant Coffee: Sleepy Owl offers • Sustainable Appeal: Black Baza
known for its highly-trained coffee bags, bottled beverage and is committed to sustainability
staff for helping out customers canned coffee as well that you can that helps them create a good
whenever needed. enjoy on the move. image in the mind of the
consumers.
 • Lifestyle: Caters to a group who is always on-the-go and
• Age: Sleepy Owl targets the age group consists of busy individuals who are trying to adjust in the
hustle culture.
of 22-30 that mostly consists of
individuals who have just started
• Interest: Always want to try something new and has a knack of
earning.
experimenting with new flavours.
• Income: The brand caters to an
audience who has just started earning
ranging from middle to upper middle • Open to Instant Coffee: This audience needs something instant
classes. because of a busy lifestyle juggling studies and work life etc.

• Location: Mostly Tier 1 cities with a • Social Media savvy: Most likely active on social media
growing coffee market. platforms like Instagram and follow coffee trends while
always on the lookout of something new.
• Age: Sleepy Owl should target above
its target audience i.e; above 30.
Sleepy owl’s instant & bottled coffee might attract constant
• Income: Since Sleepy Owl caters to the travellers and busy individuals who don’t have enough time to do
young workforce, it can step up its the whole brewing process.
game by introducing new flavours that
is liked by the experienced ones. Sleepy Owl can introduce speciality coffee for those who like to
spend a bit extra for premium quality beans.
• Location: Sleepy Owl can increase its
domain by partnering with cafes and Sleepy Owl has the chance to reach out to “health-conscious”
other outlets in Tier 2 & 3 cities. audience that like to use coffee for health benefits, marketing for
this can be done by writing educational blogs related to health
and coffee.
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